


Day of love

by Redrocketeer



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Friendship, Grouchy Gladio, M/M, Newish relationships, No Spoilers, Romance, This game has eaten my soul, Valentine's Day Fluff, first Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-25 07:59:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9810386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redrocketeer/pseuds/Redrocketeer
Summary: It's Valentine's Day and our Chocobro's finally have a reason to celebrate it but, of course, it's not going to go smoothly.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this to celebrate a Valentine's Day cosplay photoshoot my friends and I put together but they encouraged me to put it up here. This lovely support group of a fandom should have a little more fluff :)

Ignis had never given Valentine’s Day a moment’s thought. In previous years it had always passed him by. Paper hearts and frothy pink confections had had no allure to him at all but this year things were a little different.

His change in circumstance was new enough that he still blushed when he thought about it and yet he knew it was no passing fancy. It made him only more sure to get it right. He stood before a display of cards flanked by plastic boxes of rose petals and teddy bears holding foam hearts and frowned. Gladio would hate them. What was he thinking? Wasn’t the point of honest emotions to say what you meant to say in your own words? He turned away from the gaudy display and walked towards the market sure he could do better.

***  
Noctis scraped burnt chocolate from the metal tray, flicking it into the rubbish bin. After a moment’s thought he dropped the tray in as well. It’d been a stupid idea. He wasn’t a cook. Didn’t even want to be a cook, aside from the very few times buying something, or asking Ignis to make something, just wouldn’t do.

Now he’d lost the morning and was exactly back where he’d started. How did Ignis do it anyway? It didn’t even look hard but nothing did what it was supposed to. Frustrated he kicked at the bin heart-heartedly and grabbed his wallet. The only choice now was to go shopping. Surely he could find something for Prompto in the few hours he had left before the shops closed.

***  
Ignis set the bag on the kitchen bench, feeling much more comfortable with his plan. The construction was simple. All he had to do was work up the courage to invite his boyfriend to an event that carried such weight.

He rubbed his forehead and picked up his phone.

_Gladio, I don’t suppose you have some time this evening?_

He stared at his phone until the three little dots appears to indicate a reply was being formed and he kept on staring.

_Are you asking me out on a date? Because sure. I’m free. Unless it’s not a date. Something up?_

Sometimes Gladio’s casualness frustrated him to no end but often he looked upon it with gratitude. The other man was adept at making difficult things easier simply with his understated reactions.

_It’s a date. *blush emoji* I thought you might want to spend some time together today._

There was no wait for the little dots this time.

_Of course I would. Wanna see you every day. Don’t go to any trouble, okay? I’ll bring a movie._

Ignis blushed and tapped a response. _… A movie?_

Gladio’s reply did nothing to help rid himself of the heat in his cheeks.

_Get your mind out of the gutter! Or don’t. I don’t mind. It looks good in the gutter :)_

Ignis couldn’t keep a warm little smile from his face that most of his associates would fine utterly foreign. 

_Shall we say 7?_ He replied modestly.

_Sure. 7 it is. See you then, handsome._

Ignis put his phone on the bench and started to unload his shopping, though he help glancing back at it from time to time, revisiting Gladio’s words. It made him feel closer.

***

Noctis was starting to hate the whole idea of Valentine's Day. Did anyone ever enjoy it at all? It seemed like it was made entirely of tremendously important decisions with invisible parameters. He didn’t even know if it mattered to Prompto but Prompto mattered to him and damned if he was going to miss the chance to say that just because the whole thing was stupid. At least the ice cream that was shaped like a heart was made of ice cream and the knitted chocobo doll was, well, a chocobo. Noctis had been pretty proud of that pick up. It was pretty small so he kept looking. Maybe chocolates. Maybe if he learned to knit…

Noctis snorted. He was pretty sure his previous thought was proof that Valentine’s Day was a ploy to make people utterly insane for a day. 

That realisation didn’t stop him from buying the biggest box of chocolates he could find.

 _Hey Prompto. Come around tonight. Got a new game._ He texted.

It was a lie. Valentine’s Day made you lie, too. Yeah. It was a bad idea.

_Sure!!! I’m so down for that! :)_

Terrible.

***  
The pie was glowing a soft gold. A carefully chosen wine was cooling in the ice bucket. A chocolate parfait nestled in the fridge between the chantilly cream and a six-pack of Altissian beer. As far as Ignis was concerned it was as perfect as he could make it yet empty until the recipient of his attentions arrived.

Fortunately one of the qualities they shared was punctuality. Just on 7 there was a knock on the door which meant Ignis could stop pacing and wiping away non-existent dust.

He opened the door and looked up, then down. “You wore a suit,” he said, sounding a little stunned. Grey with a vest and white shirt, it looked bespoke and wildly flattering. Ignis felt a little ashamed for not even considering Gladio might own such an outfit. 

“I figure you’d make an effort so I figured I would too,” Gladio shrugged, sniffing the warm air that puffed through the apartment door. “Smells great.”  
He kissed Ignis’ cheek in greeting. “And don’t worry, I didn’t actually expect you take my advice and chill.” He followed Ignis into the kitchen area, standing very close. 

“Hmmm, smoked craghorn pie? My favourite. I like the way you flirt,” Gladio said, nudging the side of Ignis’ head with his jaw. Usually people didn’t touch Ignis. He didn’t invite them and they figured he didn’t like it but he really quite enjoyed close proximity in the case of his friends. For the touch of Gladio he had an infinite patience.

“Making something you don’t like hardly seemed in the spirit of the day,” Ignis said, his smile and his tone warming his cool words.

As he pulled the pie from the oven, to Gladio’s appreciative humming, Ignis hardly spared a thought for the prince. This would later prove to be a mistake.

***

“Hey Noct! I brought snacks! You ready to rumble?”

Noctis stuffed the gift bag he’d left out on the bench into a cupboard and slopped over to the door casually, composing himself to make out like it was no big deal. Nothing special. He was pretty sure Prompto hadn’t even noticed what day it was. Neither of them had talked about it and Prompto hadn’t tried for any advance on ‘casual game night’. Noctis really wasn’t a fan of pretense but he figured, in aim of a pleasant surprise, it was okay. Annoyingly energy-draining, but okay.

“You bet I am,” he said as he opened the door and was immediately pressed a few steps back by the warm pressure of all of the front half of Prompto. Noctis automatically closed his arms around his exuberant boyfriend, just breathing for a moment, stealing calm and hoping he gave some back. 

They’d been going out for 4 months but neither of them felt like it was really so new after all. They’d known each other so long that it felt like they’d just been building to this logical conclusion that whole time. It was already comfortable and so there’d be only one barrier to overcome; the fear the other didn’t feel as they did.

Once they’d gotten over that wall, though, with a little gentle nudging from their perceptive friends, there didn’t seem to be any more. They still enjoyed most of the same activities and bad jokes with a few more, highly enjoyable, activities added it. They weren’t in a great rush to get anywhere, they just took every day they could get and ran with it. Deep down they both knew they couldn’t count on tomorrows but they could grab every bit there was out of today.

The first kiss of the day was always Noctis’ favourite and, since Prompto really liked kissing, it tended to come within ten seconds of their meeting. The prince wasn’t disappointed this time either. He chuckled against Prompto’s lips as he walked them both backwards into the apartment.  
“Let’s get these snacks in a bowl,” he said, making no efforts to disengage.

***  
As it turned out the knitted doll went down very, very, well. The noises Prompto made on seeing it were not that distant from the ones made by the birds themselves. The chocolate was appreciated too though it was the toy that had Prompto knocking the prince onto his back and kissing him gleefully into the sofa.

Noctis supposed that Valentine’s Day wasn’t so bad at all…

***  
Ignis wondered if perhaps it was vain but he was enjoying the taste of chocolate parfait kisses a great deal as his cooking was returned to him in the most delightful way. Dinner had been a delightful success as Gladio had shown pleasure in Ignis efforts and his company. For such big hands they were deft and quick, finding Ignis’ across the table and rarely letting go. Both the pie and parfait could be eaten mostly with only one hand. It hadn’t been planned that way but Ignis was pleased with the happy accident.

Gladio had insisted on doing the washing up. Ignis had offered to dry but he’d been relegated to watching, sitting on the bench, biting down on a chocolate-covered cherry that Gladio had surprised him with.

Ignis had no complaints about the view as Gladio’s thick arms shifted in the soapy water. It was nice to be taken care of sometimes and nicer when, his job finished, Gladio had sidled up to Ignis and, finding him at the perfect height, kissed a cherry right from his mouth. He chuckled at Ignis’ shock and pulled him into an embrace, going back in for more. Ignis closed his eyes, nerves singing at the attention.

***  
The siege on the castle had been messy. They’d gone through over 20 potions between them and they were barely under the portcullis. The bent bodies of enemy knights scattered the keep while ballistas and cataphracts peppered the earth around them with holes and burning tar. It was two against a well-prepared fortress but they had the advantage of magic and practice. It wasn’t the new game promised but it was a favourite.

“Nice shot, Noct!” Prompto called happily, “He never saw that coming!”  
Prompto was currently in the form of a purple bird, dropping heavy chunks of ice onto the heads of their opposition. He’d forgiven Noctis for awkwardly tricking him and promptly reminded him he’d never had to. He’d never have to. The fact Noctis knew this was written all over his face and Prompto had only smiled as he read it for himself. Noctis nodded his acceptance and Prompto knew it was the truth. After that they’d kissed and then gone into battle. 

“Hey, it’s ‘cause of you I have the arrows in the first place,” Noctis responded graciously.

Noctis fired a stolen arrow into the remaining guard tower and felled the lone soldier hidden within. This was it. They’d made it to the last boss. They were inches from victory. Noctis tapped the button to open the heavy doors just as the power went out, taking the console and all their progress with it.

The words from the prince’s mouth were a long way from regal.

***  
Ignis lit the last candle, playfully smacking Gladio’s hand away from his hip. “You’re very impatient,” he said, pretending to sound put out.  
“You’re very sexy,” Gladio countered with a shrug. “Now come here.”  
Physical intimacy had come surprisingly quickly between them. Gladio had determined to wait for Ignis to be ready but that hadn’t taken as long as either of them had expected. Ignis liked to play it cool but they both knew it was only his way of holding on to control. It had nothing to do with his enthusiasm for Gladio’s bold attentions. Gladio pushed his boundaries and he liked that.

Gladio grabbed his hips and pulled him close. He liked that too.

***  
“You don’t think he’ll be busy? You know, Valentine’s and all,” Prompto asked, snacks and soda in the plastic bag that smacked into his calf as he walked.  
“What Specs? Nah. He doesn’t go in for all that. He’s probably reading reports. That’s what he does every night.” Noctis was mostly guessing, partly figuring it had to be the only way Ignis could get through them all. 

“That’s kind of sad. Maybe we should find him a nice girl. Or guy. Whatever he likes.”  
“I’m not setting Ignis up with… anyone. If we even try he’d probably glue my door shut so I couldn’t get out and do anything like it ever again. Anyway, who’d even be his type? They’d need pages and screen.”

Prompto chuckled at that. “I guess you’re right. I don’t know anyone like that.”

Noctis had the game station and the games in his black sports bag, slung over his shoulder. Prompto and Noctis were not yet at the point in their relationship where they could see opportunity in a power outage. It was ruining their plans and Noctis had little patience for sitting in the dark so he’d gathered up Prompto and their paraphernalia and enacted plan B. It wasn’t a new plan, exclusive to the day. It was the usual standard back-up plan, infrequently used but reassuring to have. 

As they turned into the long street that housed many of the staff apartments Noctis could see working lights up ahead. The evening was salvageable. That immediately put Noctis in a better mood. He reached out for Prompto’s hand. “Look, sorry this has been a bit of a bust. I’m… still glad you’re here.”  
He was offered a smile in return. “I’m glad I’m here too,” Prompto said, softly and sincerely.  
Noctis couldn’t resist kissing his cheek, just as the rain started to come down.

It was only a few blocks. Noctis didn’t fancy the idea of running that far but he didn’t have a change of clothes with him and Prompto was wearing even less than he was. “Dammit! We can’t catch a break.” He turned to his patient, increasingly soggy, boyfriend. “I’ll make it up to you,” he said as he tugged Prompto in a run.

***  
Ignis had no idea where his shirt had landed and he didn’t much care. Gladio’s fingers were already working open his belt.  
“You wear too much,” he complained.  
“Says the man in the suit,” Ignis said with a quirk of his eyebrow.  
“You love it,” Gladio grinned back.  
“I do,” Ignis agreed, pulling him to a kiss.

***  
Gladio’s head jerked up at the heavy pounding on the door. “Wait here,” he said to his boyfriend, dishevelled on the sofa. Gladio’s training took over. It could be nothing but it was safer to assume it was something till you knew better. He cursed the interruption and hoped it could be dealt with quickly so he could get back to what he’d rather be doing.

“What is it?” he growled, pulling open the door to the dripping wet prince of Lucis and his just-as-soaked boyfriend. Gladio expression shifted to annoyed confusion. “What are you two doing here?”

“We… had a date. Didn’t go so well- what are you doing…” Noctis looked past Gladio to the figure on the couch with his hair in a mess, his glasses at a tilt, his shirt flung over the coffee table. “Here,” he finished weakly, jaw slack.

Gladio and Ignis. GLADIO AND IGNIS. Had be been blind? Drunk? Stupid? How had be missed THAT going on? 

“What, and you just assumed Iggy’d have nothing better to do than babysit you two?”

Noctis hadn’t noticed Ignis gathering himself, fixing his glasses. Grabbing his shirt. He only noticed him appear at Gladio’s shoulder looking flushed but, otherwise, his usual self. His voice was resigned as he spoke, saving Noctis from having to admit that that's exactly what they'd assumed.

“It’s alright, Gladio. They should dry off. We can’t have the prince coming down with a cold if we can prevent it.” He turned to the boys. “You can use my bathroom.”

“Thank you,” Prompto said, politely. He didn’t take Ignis for granted. Prompto felt it would be fair to just send them both back out into the night after they ruined the older boys’ evening. He couldn’t look at Gladio as he passed, nervous of the Shield’s anger.

“Alright, dry off and head off,” Gladio called after them. Ignis padded off to the kitchen, pulled out a pan and poured milk into it.  
“That’d better be to go,” Gladio groused to Ignis.

***  
Prompto pulled off his sodden vest and dropped it into Ignis’ bath. “Wow,” he said softly. “So that’s something,” he added, wringing out his vest into the sink.  
Noctis rubbed at his hair with a crisp white towel. “Well you can’t say you’re going to forget your first Valentine’s Day with me,” he said with a crooked smile. “I sure won’t.”  
Prompto smiled at that, both the suggestion and the promise of more. More time. More Valentine’s.

“Next year we’re getting a hotel room,” Prompto commanded. “With a television.” He looked down at the black canvas bag and figured their games were over for the night.  
“I thought a walk would be romantic,” Noctis shrugged.  
“Well I did get to see you out of your shirt, so that’s something,” Prompto said. Noctis threw a face washer at him.

***  
Ignis had turned up the heater and blown out the candles, switching on the lights, showering Gladio with apologetic looks but Gladio didn’t require them, not from Ignis.  
Ignis crossed to where his boyfriend stood tense by his front door. “We’ll have our time, I promise,” he said softly. “The night isn’t over yet.”  
“No thanks to their efforts,” Gladio said but he kissed Ignis’ forehead as he said it. He didn’t want Ignis to think he was cross with him even as he told him he was too soft.  
“You can help me with that later,” Ignis said saucily and went back to fixing hot chocolate.  
The boys came out wrapped in blankets, shoulders pressed together. They sat side-by-side on the sofa, hot chocolate appearing in their hands as Ignis joined them. He held out a cup to Gladio to lure him close.

They took up position on the other sofa, Ignis leaning forwards, Gladio leaning back. “I don’t suppose that bag holds a change of clothes?” he asked hopefully.  
“More like a game station,” Noctis said, having the sense to look embarrassed at his lack of foresight. 

“I see,” Ignis said. “Well, plug it in. I assume you were in the middle of a game.”  
Noctis and Prompto did a double take. “You… mean you want us to stay?”  
“I mean you’re on a date, aren’t you?”  
“Yeah,” said Prompto. “We… we are.”  
“Then, by all means, continue. Which one is it?”  
“Sword of Alberetta,” Noctis said, sounding suspicious. He expected a trick. He felt he deserved a trick.  
“Oh, the castle. Did you get the Ophlebet Stone?”  
“Yeah, just. We were about to take the keep when the power went out.”  
“I’m sure that was very frustrating,” Ignis said and Gladio grunted. Ignis reached over to squeeze his wrist without looking.

“Go ahead. I’ll get a bowl for your chips.” Noctis watched Ignis cross to the kitchen. Something important was going on. He gave it his full attention.  
His eyes had kept flicking over to Gladio and Ignis and the tiny space between them. He still didn’t know whether to be happy for them or unrelentingly terrified. If the two had been an occasional headache apart what could he even expect with their powers combined? Yet Ignis seemed almost relaxed and Gladio seemed… fierce, protective but no harder on them than they deserved. Strange as it was to get his head around didn’t they deserve what he had found? What they’d encouraged him to find?

When Ignis returned Noctis looked up at him and said, “Do you want to stay, watch some?”  
Ignis looked at Gladio and back to Noctis with a calm little smile. “For a while,” he said, settling on the sofa and leaning against Gladio, stealing his arm and wrapping it over his shoulder, determined to encourage the Shield to relax again. They’d have their time. It wasn’t so bad to wait a little.  
“It’s their first too,” he whispered softly when Gladio sighed beside him. That, at least, seemed to wipe away some of the tension. Gladio wrapped his other arm around Ignis, close but chaste. Neither considered hiding from their closest friends.

“Alright but we get a go,” Gladio growled without heat.  
“You’re on!” Prompto said, his cheer returning as the tension left the room.  
Shoulders and knees bumped, fingers clashed over popcorn, laughter was muffled by the edge of numerous cups of irresistible hot chocolate as the Castle of Alberetta never knew what hit it.


End file.
